County Kerry - Towns

Camp village is only ten miles from Tralee where you will experience cheek-by-jowl the full gamut of delights: a slash of superb beaches, a scattering of ancient monuments, a warmth of hostelries, and towering over all, silent and mysterious, the mighty mountains.

It's funny, because you might flash past camp without noticing it: a small plaque to something or other, a few admittedly attractive pubs, a crossroads, a little church, a post office, and that's it. But it's not. Follow any seabound bohareen around here and you will be rewarded at the end of it with a crock of golden sand - and probably have it to yourself.

Turn toward the hills, and you will find a wealth of antiquities, not to mention the escape, the solitude, the spiritual balm.

And at the end of the day, when you have refeshed the soul don't neglect the body. Enter any tavern and you will get not only eating and drinking but also quite likely music and dancing. There tradition is vibrant in these parts.

In short, Camp has everything. You might even be tempted to set up camp here.

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Caragh Lake is a beautiful expanse of water 4 miles (6 km) long, set among broom and heather-covered hills with majestic mountains in the background.

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An attractive small resort with a sandy beach on the Ring of Kerry. It is a sister resort to Westcove. Staigue Fort is nearby.

Services in Castlecove

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Perhaps it is the urgent call of Dingle or even the Conor Pass - but for whatever reason a great many travellers from Tralee pass the signpost for Castlegregory and never visit the place.

That is both good and bad. It is good because it means this admirable village seldom suffers the pressure on accommodaton that at times splits Dingle at the seams. It is bad because so many don't know what they are missing.

Castlegregory sits in the middle of a veritable animal and bird sanctuary; it has as its back garden an incredible wiilderness, including the wonderful coum of Glanteenassig (the valleys of the waterfall); it has more than its share of colourful, even eccentric, hostelries; and it has a history for those curious to inquire both rich and poignant.

In terms of size, the little town on the shore of Lough Gill may be only a backwater of its former self - that of course is the story of these parts. At the turn of the century, it rivalled Tralee as a burgeoning metropolis. Now, with the railroad gone and whole generations emigrated, there remain only slimmed down versions of the fishing and vegetable-growing industries and all their subsidiary crafts that once made the place buzz.

But Castlegregory retains a legacy from its golden age: a certain confidence and energy disproportionate to its size - and with its increasing orientation toward tourism seems set to prosper again.

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Inland, Castleisland was once the impregnable Kerry headquaters of the Earls of Desmond: from here they ruled North Kerry. Today, although only scant ruins survive of what was once a formidable powerbase, strong farming markets and good commercial activity gives Castleisland new life. Nearby Crag Castle is fast becoming the great showcave of Ireland. North are the Glanruddery mountains while the Stacks rise gently to the west. Castleisland is an important road junction in this Vale of Tralee, while Kerry's county airport at Farranfore is just down the road. From there, daily flights connect Kerry with Britain and the major Irish cities.

Services in Castleisland

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